


Divine Strength

by StormyDaysAndSunnySkies



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, I'm Bad At Tagging, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Slow Burn, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-06-28 05:31:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15700779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormyDaysAndSunnySkies/pseuds/StormyDaysAndSunnySkies
Summary: Pulled through time by an unknown demon, Astrid struggles to cope with her new reality. Finding a way home is not going to be easy but Astrid is determined. Maybe she can find some help?Also, I know I spelled Koga's name this way. That's the way i always have. I can't correct it because when I relax I always go back to spelling it this way. Sorry. :/





	1. Chapter 1

Astrid walked through the familiar forest, dry leaves crunching beneath her boots. She wasn't on a path, per se, more of a game trail. She crouched down studying impressions in the slightly damp earth. Deer had been through this area within the past few hours. She breathed in deeply through her nose. The smell of decaying leaves and something undeniably floral invaded her senses. Grandfather ash and honeysuckle. She also smelled watermelon. A snake must be nesting nearby. She made a mental note to be extra careful in the underbrush. Snake bites rarely happened above the ankle and it was unlikely that one would be able to puncture through the leather of her mid calf hiking boots but it was better to be safe than sorry. There would be no emergency treatment this far out in the wilderness. A poisonous bite would mean death for the careless.  
Astrid had taken a few days off work to go on this camping trip. The heat was sweltering when she had sat down on an old rotted log, pulling the ear buds from her ears. She pushed her sideswept orchid colored bangs from her sweaty brow as she dug through her pack. She was digging through her belongings, searching for her power bank to charge her phone, not finding what she searched for she had ceased for a moment, taking a drink from her canteen before storing it back in her bag.  
A snap in the woods drew her attention. Shouldering her pack she squinted into the woods searching for the source of the noise. Astrid felt the hair raise on the back of her neck. Not sure why, but trusting her instincts she gripped the hunting knife that was sheathed in the small of her back. The light filtered through the canopy of the trees illuminating the motes. They appeared to be tiny floating lights. Her heart thundered in her chest when she caught sight of something white moving through the trees. It was coming nearer. She drew the knife. It was... a man? He wore an animal skin of white fur. The hood covering his face bore the visage of a baboon. Astrid cocked her head to the side in confusion. Why would someone wear a fur cloak in such heat, or even at all? What a weirdo. Strange that such an odd man would make it this far in the forest. Astrid was an experienced hiker but this man, no. These thoughts raced through her mind in about a second. His head tilted up slightly. She could see the lower half of his face now and he was... smirking? Then he laughed. Mancially. "What the fuck?" Astrid said, taking a step back. Faster than humanly possible the man covered the 12 feet between them in the blink of an eye. He grabbed her and she tried to twist away taking a swipe with her knife. Fur ripped beneath the sharp steel but the man's grip only tightened. "You will come with me and you will serve me." he breathed in her ear. She could smell his putrid breath.  
Astrid struggled her vision going dark as his hands tightened around her neck. Panic swelled inside her as lights popped in her eyes. She felt a sensation like rushing wind. Something not unlike electricity seemed to flare within her then a burst of magenta light burst from within her. She felt her knees give way. She opened her eyes some time later, her pack uncomfortably heavy on her back. Breathing in she smelled grass and earth her left hand still gripped her knife. Sitting up weary and disoriented, she looked at the knife. Fur was lodged in the serated half of the blade. She numbly sheathed the knife, not bothering to remove the fur. Standing, she studdied her surroundings. She definitely wasn't in the same place. The nearby trees weren't even indiginous to the forest she had been hiking in. Shit. Who was that weirdo? What had he said? She pinched her brow trying to recall everything that had happened. She had been attacked. The man had tried to abduct her. Then.... light? Where was he? Had she escaped somehow? She didn't understand. She studdied the unfamiliar landscape. There were no houses. No roads. No cars. No lights. Just miles of grassland. A ridiculous thought crossed her mind. It was like she was in a different place, a different time... but that was absolutly ridiculous.  
A single tree stood on a nearby copse. She made her way toward it in the setting orange sun. She started a fire, assembled her tent, rolled out her sleeping bag, ate some of the dried travel food from her pack then stomped out her little fire and went to sleep. When she woke up this would all be a dream. A confusing and terrifying dream.  
She woke early and took a deep breath before unzipping her tent. He stomach dropped. She was still on the copse. An unfamiliar bird chirped happily in the branches of the tree she had camped under. "Ok, I need to move. I need to find some people. Something." She said to herself. With new resolve she packed away her things, shouldered her pack and began the arduous journey across the untamed fields. About a half a days walk and a granola bar later she had stopped to take a break. She hadn't seen a single person. She studdied the horizon taking a drink from her canteen. In the distance a thin finger of smoke was visible. Deciding to head for it because logically fire meant people, she stowed her canteen and walked. She heard howling and froze. It sounded like it was from pretty far away but she still reached back to pat the side pocket of her pack, making sure the can was still there. Camping had plenty of hazzards, not in the least was the danger of wild animal attacks. Feeling the can of bear mace she relaxed a little. She resumed her walk, picking up the pace a little now that she knew wolves were nearby.  
As she neared the source of the smoke she knew something was wrong. When the source of the smoke came into view she gasped. It was a... town? No, it was better described as a village from at least a century ago. The huts that were still standing were wood and straw. There was definitely no electricity. No cars. No roads. She was in a different time. Mastering her confusion she studdied the area, cool grey orbs sweeping across the scene. The smell of smoke and charred meat was everywhere. Not a soul was anywhere. Examining the source of the fire she turned quickly and vomited unceremoniously on the charred earth. A child's arm. Bodies burining in the fire. Trying to calm her nerves she looked for something to indicate what had happened. There were deep gouges in the earth, almost like the prints a wolf would make but these were larger than life. Impossible.  
Astrid walked quickly away from the carnage, desperate to get away from the village. She heard another howl. This time much closer. She yanked the can of bear mace out of her pack with shaking fingers. Maybe the village had been attacked by wolves... That certainly didn't explain who had burned the bodies or the gouge marks in the ground. Another howl, this time right behind her she spun around pulling out her knife. Holding the can in her right hand and the knife in her left, her eyes combed over the landscape searching for the wolf. Howls in unison came from all around her. Shit. It was more than one. Sweat beaded down her back and she felt a burst of adrenaline. Something bright caught her eye. Something glowing. She felt almost as if she were pulled toward it, taking a step forward despite the danger she was in. The glowing was approaching, fast. She tore her eyes away from it when movement caught her peripheral vision. Wolves prowled toward her menacingly. The growls seemed to vibrate in the air around her. Seven, eight, nine. This was bad. They seemed to be waiting for something. She hesitated then glanced back toward the glowing light. A gust of wind and, she wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it for herself, a man emerged from the nearby woods in a twister. This was insane. He came toward her paying no mind to the wolves in a loose circle around her. Their inteligent eyes followed him. Growls did not greet him, she noted. As he grew closer she studdied him in confusion. He was wearing what was unmistakably light armor. His legs and right arm seemed to be the source of the glowing, which was strange in itself, but even more odd his ears were pointed. His pupils were slitted and if she didn't know any better she would say that the tail behind him was not a part of the fur that wrapped around him but a part of him.  
"What's a human doing in my territory?" When he spoke she saw that his canine teeth were more like... fangs? She stared dumbly at him making no answer. "Speak human, why are you here? Who are you?" He demanded haughtily. The wolves around her growled in unison. Astrid tried to speak and found her throat dry. She swallowed and tried again, "I... My name is Astrid." His gaze was piercing and hostile. "Well, answer me, Why are you here?!" He demanded. Tension seemed to roll off him in waves and something else. Some powerful force that set her nerves even more on edge than before with just the wolves. All of her senses were screaming at her. He was dangerous. Much more so than the wolves. She fought hard to keep her voice even. "I don't know..." her voice was barely more than a whisper which seemed to enrage the man further. "That is not an answer! Answer me human or you will regret it!" He barked at her flexing his hands. She looked at his hands, they had... claws. He approached her menacingly. Faster than humanly possible, it was increasingly obvious that he was not human, he grabbed her face. She could feel his claws biting into her flesh. "Why are you here?!" He growled. Astrid struggled to twist out of his grip but it was impossible. The pain lancing through her face had her shouting angrily at him despite the fear. " I ALREADY TOLD YOU I DON'T KNOW. LET ME GO, YOU MONSTER!" To her surprise he released her face. She took a step back. Her hands were sweaty, gripping her weapons that seemed laughably childish now. They were still her best hope of surviving this ordeal. She glanced down at his legs then to his right arm. Now that he was closer to her she could see why they were glowing. Her brow furrowed. It looked almost like pieces of a jewel. One in each shin and one in his right forearm.  
"What are you looking at human." The man was still demanding but he cocked his head to the side curiously. "Your legs. Your arm. They glow. Why? What is that?" He was back in her face but this time he appeared merely curious, even excited. "You can see it?"  
"Of course I can, they're bright. It looks like pieces of something..." Astrid was alarmed by his sudden interest. He knew his legs and arm glowed... it was hard to miss. "They're pieces of the Shikon jewel. The jewel makes youkai more powerful and I want more of them. You're going to help me find them." His tone was stern, as if he was used to issuing orders and having them followed without question. "Youkai? As in demons?" Astrid said, more to herself than anything. He did not respond. Astrid definitely did not want to go with this wolf man. At all. Her nerves were still screaming at her to run but she knew instinctively that there was no way she would get away from him or the wolves. Maybe she could talk her way out of it.  
"It's not really that big of a deal is it? I'm sure tons of people can see them. Just let me go."  
"No." He replied sternly, fixing her with a narrowed gaze. "What do you mean, no?"  
"I mean it is extremely rare for anyone to be able to sense them. You can. I will not let you go."  
"Who are you?" She asked desperate to distract him and keep him talking. "Koga." monosylables. Great. He was loosing what little patience he had. "What... what are you?" She asked hessitantly, knowing that this would likely make him angry. "I am a wolf demon. I would think that would be fairly obvious, woman." He was looking at her now like she was stupid. "Come on, woman, walk." He pushed her forward, the sudden jarring motion sending her to the ground. Her knife bit into the flesh of her hand when she fell. The wolves around her shifted and sniffed impatiently. She shakily sheathed the knife. Her hand bled freely. She continued clutching the can of mace. "Get up you clumsy woman!" Koga snapped. She noticed he appeared to have a hungry gleam in his eye. Shit. Ok. If he is a wolf demon he probably smells her blood just like the wolves around her. It was just a matter of time before he tried to take a bite out of her. Gotta find a way to escape. She walked. The wolves trotted along behind her as she walked. Koga walked in front of her now. His stride was longer, putting a little more distance between them.  
They walked for a short while before two men who looked similar to the youkai she walked with came out of the trees. "Koga," The first one called. His voice was higher pitched and a little whiney. "Koga youkai are invading our territory from the west."  
"Take this woman back to the den. Do not eat her." Koga ordered before disappearing in a gust of wind. The two men that replaced Koga were less vigilant. Excellent. They were walking adjacent to a river. The currents were fast. An idea occured to her. A very dangerous idea that was her best hope for getting away. She slowed her walking speed. One of the men turned around, "Hurry up, woman." The other turned around as well fixing her with a hostile gaze. She brought the can of bear mace up. The V shaped spray got them both in the eyes. They cried out in surprise and pain. Astrid ran. She could hear the wolves tearing through the forest after her. She spun around spraying them in the eyes as well. The wolves whimpered and whined, pawing at their faces trying to clear their eyes and sinuses. Astrid ran following along the river. The remaining wolves were still giving chase but keeping their distance, not wanting to be sprayed. She dove into the river. The pack on her back made swimming difficult but she tore through the water quickly. The adrenaline keeping her moving. She emerged dripping on the other side. The remaining wolves had stopped on the other side, intelligent eyes following her as she scrambled up the bank and back into the woods. Howls were loud in her ears but they were all coming from across the river. The wolves would easily be able to track her since they knew where she had crossed the river. She ran through the forest heading the opposite direction from where they were headed. When the howls no longer sounded as loud she dove back into the river clutching a drifting log. She did her best to keep her pack out of the water. Clutching a piece of drifting wood she allowed the river to carry her down stream. She swam to the edge of the river on the bank opposite of the wolves and treked wearily around in the woods for about ten minutes, pressing her still slightly bleeding hand to a tree trunk to leave her scent, before returning to the river clutching the same piece of drift wood allowing it to carry her further down the river. She had hoped the wolves would have a harder time tracking her by doing this.  
Several hours had passed and it was well into the night when she wearily dragged herself from the river to find somewhere to rest. She had heard no sign of pursuit so she figured she had probably lost them. The adrenaline had faded a long time ago and the only thing keeping her going was will. She poked around in her pack. Most of her belongings were relatively dry much to her surprise. She had bought this pack because it boasted water resistance but she hadn't dared to hope for such luck. Too weary to assemble her tent and too cautious to risk a fire she pulled out her sleeping bag and laid it beneathe a tree with hanging willowy branches. She stripped down and put on some dry clothes from her pack. She laid her wet things out on the ground beside her to dry and crawled into her sleeping bag, exhausted. She fell into an uneasy sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Astrid woke with her stomach growling painfully. With sleep clouding her vision she pulled her pack toward her groping in it for a bag of beef jerky. She opened the bag and froze. There was someone there. Fuck. It was Koga. Her hand flew to grab her knife but she was pinned to the ground too quickly to grab it. She had lost the mace in the river. Hands caged her wrists behind her back painfully as she struggled against an iron grip. She fought in vain to free herself. The hands tightened, it felt like her wrists were going to break. She cried out.   
"Be quiet." A low growl near her ear stilled her. She whimpered quietly in pain. The grip loosened enough that it didn't feel like her bones were going to break but it was still firm and inescapable.   
"Why did you do that to my Pack?" Koga asked, his voice was low and dangerous.

"Because I wanted to get away." Astrid responded haughtily. There was no remorse in her voice. 

"I should kill and devour you for what you did." Koga threatened and Astrid knew it was not empty. Fear bubbled up inside her faster than she could temper it. A familiar sensation flooded through her. She was surrounded by the same magenta glow from before and Koga released her as if he had been burned. Astrid scrambled backward away from him and saw that he had indeed been burned.

"You're a priestess?" Koga was staring at her incredulously, the flesh of his hands still slightly smoking. 

"A what?" Astrid replied. She had no clue what he was talking about. 

"You tried to purify me!" Koga snapped accusingly. Astrid looked at him uncomprehending. He cocked his head to the side, studying her. Koga realized she had no idea what she had done.  
"Of course," He exclaimed, "that's why you can see the jewel shards."

Astrid could sense a change in the atmosphere. Before it was tense. She knew he was close to attacking and killing her but now... He seemed almost relaxed. She couldn't follow what had happened. "You're a weird human." 

Astrid raised her eyebrows before angrily retorting, "Says the murderous wolf man that tried to abduct me. I don't know what the hell you think you're doing I've got bad news for you, you mongrel. I'm not helping you do anything. I'm not finding your weird glowing rock shit and if you touch me again you'll regret it!" Rage flooded through Astrid when Koga laughed amusedly. 

"I'm serious!" She yelled. 

"Really? What do you think you can do to me? I know now that you have no idea how to control your spiritual power so you probably won't be able to purify me and your only other option is to try to fight me. You and I both know you won't win. You can't run. I'm faster than anyone, you won't get three paces before I capture you. Just give up and come quietly."   
Koga's little speech was so arrogant that Astrid was determined to fight, to run, to do anything to get away from this insufferable man. Her hands tightened in the dirt at her sides. Koga shot her a supercilious smirk. Astrid threw a handful of dirt in his eyes and tried to run, her feet were bare from where she had removed her boots to let them dry. True to his word he had her captured in his arms before she had gone more than three paces. She struggled and in her desperation sunk her teeth into his forearm tasting blood. Pain lanced through her shoulder and she released his arm in surprise. Koga bit her back! What in the hell did she expect, he was a mangy wolf man after all. She struggled against his bite and felt her skin and musle tear. She cried out in pain. She could feel rivulets of blood soaking into her tank top. His bite tightened and she cried out again and stopped struggling. When she stilled he released her. Astrid dropped to her knees clutching her shoulder where he bit her.  
"Are you done?" Koga asked sardonically, licking her blood from his lips. The smile he shot her was especially sinister. Her blood covered his chin and climbed the cracks in his teeth.   
"Yes." Astrid replied defeated. 

"Are you sure? You're not going to try to run again? If you do I'll have to take another bite out of you and I won't go easy on you next time." Astrid shuddered. That had been going easy? Shit. 

All of the fight had left her. The two youkai from before had joined them now. Their eyes were red and blood shot and Astrid didn't feel an ounce of remorse. Koga allowed her to put her things back in her bag but when she tried to shoulder her pack with a hiss of pain he took it from her, handing it to one of the others.  
"Hey!" She started to protest but Koga cut across her. 

"I don't think so. I'd prefer if you didn't have your things. If you try to run again you won't have any supplies this way." 

Astrid shot him a mutinous look. Damn it, he was right. He also did not let her have her shoes. Resigning herself to the terrible trek across the forest barefoot she had barely taken two steps before Koga had thrown her over his shoulder.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Astrid shrieked, "I can walk, put me down!"

Koga ignored her, clamping his arm firmly around her thighs She suddenly felt herself being swept away by his enormous speed. His speed was disorienting to say the least and not ten minutes later she spoke again, "Koga put me down.. urk... I'm not joking put me down." 

"And give you the chance to run again, I don't think so." He replied. 

"Suit yourself then..." Astrid warned. Hanging upside down, moving faster than she had in her life, and her stomach bounching on Koga's shoulder wasn't doing her any favors. He ignored her. Astrid threw up spectacularly.

Koga stopped and dropped her on the ground. "Seriously?!" Koga was furious. 

"I warned you!" Astrid shot back acidly before leaning over, dry heaving. 

"What is wrong with you?" 

"Probably motion sickness.... The pressure... on my stomach.... and being shaken around.... upside down... didn't..... help." She gasped between heaves. Koga stood impatiently waiting for her sickness to pass. "Can I have my canteen from my bag?" Astrid asked wearily.   
"Your what?" Of course they didn't know what a canteen was. 

"Water. In my bag." 

Koga took a water skin from one of the other youkai and handed it to her. She eyed him distrustfully before taking a sip of water to rinse her mouth out. She drank several gulps of water from the skin to try to ease her stomach churning. Astrid stood and passed the water skin back to the man, Ginta, she had heard the others call him. 

"Thank you." She said grudgingly.

Ginta did not respond. Koga grabbed her again, this time he let her cling to his back which admittedly was an improvement but the speed was still so disorienting that she buried her face in his dark hair to block out the trees whipping by. His grip tightened on her thighs.  
After what seemed like a very long time but may have been no time at all they arrived at his den. He let her down. She felt stiff and her shoulder hurt from the bite. Her hand was throbbing from the cut. Astrid gasped when she really looked at her surroundings. There were wolves everywhere. Some were humanoid like Koga and some were just plain old wolves. They were large and muscled and several stilled and focused on her predatorily when they caught the scent of her blood.

"Nobody is allowed to eat her, understand?" Koga shouted to the congregation of canines. At his command their interest in her seemed to wane. 

The wolves were a variety of different colors ranging from a golden brown color to inky black. Astrid thought in a rather detached way that they were kind of beautiful. She was exhausted.

"Come on, follow me." Koga walked in the direction of a cluster of caves that honeycombed into the side of the mountain. He led her to a small cavern near the top. The only thing within was a small pile of furs.

"You'll sleep here." Koga said before turning his back on her to leave. 

"Koga, wait." He stopped in the mouth of the cavern. "Can I have my stuff back now?" 

Koga left without responding. Astrid paced in the little room of sorts. She settled herself on the furs and pulled her knees up to her chest. It was colder here than in the forest. They had clearly traveled pretty far up this mountain. She had missed the trip, keeping her eyes closed to avoid being sick again. Being left to herself -and no longer being confused by her predicament (that she was half convinced was a dream) or panicked from the chase gave her some time to think. Thinking lead Astrid to despair. She was obviously not in her own world. She had somehow been pulled here by that crazed man she had decided was another demon and now she was captured by ravenous wolf youkai. Before she could reassert her control tears brimmed over her eyes. She didn't fight them anymore. How was she supposed to get home? Three days in this world had already shown her that this place was hostile and unforgiving. She hadn't even seen another normal person unless you counted all those burned corpses. Astrid curled into a ball, silently crying. She would die here, she just knew it.


	3. Chapter 3

She wasn't sure when she had dropped off into sleep but when she awakened it was because of hunger pangs. She gripped her stomach tightly. It had been at least a day since she had eaten anything and anything that might have still been in her stomach she had thrown up on the trip here. She sat up and shivered in the cold. Shorts and a tank top were not enough here. Sitting up she wondered if she was allowed to leave this room. Her pack was just inside the doorway and to her surprise there was a plate sitting with it and an earthen container of water. She sat down next to her pack and picked up the plate. It was some kind of cooked meat. She looked at it suspiciously and turned her back on it. She dug a protein bar out of her bag and ate it instead. Sated, she took her pack over to her makeshift little bed to sort out the contents. When she found her phone and power bank she felt a tiny bit better. She had no service, which she had expected, but her playlist was downloaded on her phone so she was able to listen to some music which helped calm her.   
Astrid was sitting leaned back against the wall with her legs pulled up to her chest when Koga returned. She had pulled one of the furs over her like a blanket. Her head rested against the wall and to Koga, it looked like strings were in her ears. Her eyes were closed but she wasn't asleep. Her fingers tapped out an inaudible rhythm. He cocked his head to the side at her. Straining his ears he thought he could hear the rhythm her fingers followed. What sort of magic was this? One of her eyes cracked open. She had felt his approach either because she could feel the jewel shards coming nearer or perhaps she simply recognized his demonic aura. Astrid pulled one of the string looking things out of her ears.

"Yes?" Her voice was weary and she looked dejected.

"What are those strings? What is that sound?" Koga asked.

"These are head phones, the sound is music." Astrid said before putting the head phone back in. Koga sat down next to her and she looked at him in annoyance. 

"What do you want."

"To talk with you." He waited expectantly.

Astrid heaved a sigh and paused her music... "Fuck you."

"Maybe later. Where are you from? Your clothes are odd, you speak with an accent I don't recognize, and you have these strange magic strings. Don't lie to me." Koga fixed her with a penetrating gaze. Astrid met his gaze but looked away.

"None of your fucking business." 

"Do not test my patience woman." His voice was low and threatening.

After a short hesitation, Astrid told him everything that happened in a dull monotonous voice. Koga studied her and considered what she had told him. This strange demon, and he was absolutely sure it was a demon, that had brought her here was worrisome.

"You said you cut him?" 

"His cloak, I didn't actually get him." Astrid picked up her belt with her knife on it. she pulled the knife out of the sheathe and tapped the sheathe on the ground. A small scrap of fur fell out. There was blood on it. 

"That's my blood. From when I fell after you pushed me." Astrid said dully.

Koga picked up the scrap staring at it with keen eyes. Abruptly, he leaned over to Astrid, his face at her shoulder. She stiffened, expecting him to bite her again. She could feel his hot breath against her skin. He was smelling her blood, she realized. It was still crusted on her shoulder. She had made no effort to clean it off. His eyes closed lazily, tongue hot and wet, dragging across her skin and the dried blood. She shivered at the contact. He pulled away. Astrid released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. He brought the fur to his face, breathing deeply through his nose. His azure eyes snapped open suddenly. 

"I have his scent now. Maybe I'll get better answers out of him." 

Astrid wasn't sure if she was comforted by that.

As a way to end the conversation she pulled out her headphones again but before she could put them in her ears he grabbed her hands. Astrid's steely distrustful eyes were on his cobalt ones. He took the headphones, staring at them curiously. Koga took one of them and held it to his ear. "Why doesn't it make sounds like before?" For the first time since coming to this world she laughed. It was all hard lines and edges. Almost a little melancholy.

"It's because the music isn't on. I stopped it when you barged in here demanding answers I don't have."

"Oh." Koga looked a little disappointed.

"Did you want to hear it?"

"Yes." Koga's face shone with child like wonder. He seemed almost... human. The contrast was jarring. Astrid gave him one of the headphones and showed him how to put it in his ear. She put the other one in her ear and selected a song and played it. Koga jumped a little in surprise when the song started playing but relaxed as he got used to the sensation. Astrid closed her eyes, fingers tapping out a rhythm again. She allowed herself to forget the captor sitting next to her. Astrid allowed it to play the next song.

"Why is it so sad?" 

Astrid jolted, she had almost forgotten him there, lost in the music. "What do you mean?"

"The music. It's so sad. Why?"

"It's how they were feeling at the time they wrote the song." 

"Oh. Why do you listen to it? Does it not make you sad?" 

"It does but it helps sometimes." 

"Were they singing to each other?"

"No, of course not. Why would you think that?" 

"Because they're both sad. A man and a woman." 

"No I just like both of those songs. They're totally different. They were made at different times and everything."

"Why do you like sad music?" 

Astrid looked at him critically then looked away. She wasn't really sure how to answer him. She definitely wasn't about to explain her music preferences to this youkai. Instead she changed tactics. "They aren't all sad. It's just what I wanted to listen to right now because it's kind of how I feel." She powered her phone off to preserve the battery and stowed it carefully in her bag. She settled back on the furs. 

"Maybe clean the rest of that blood off of you before you go out around the rest of the pack. The others might not be able to resist if you walk around out there like that."

"I wasn't aware that I was allowed to leave this place."

"Of course you are. This isn't some kind of dungeon." Koga shook his head as he left. He hesitated outside her small sleeping quarters looking at the untouched meal. Distrustful to the end. Who could have brought her here? Why would they want this stubborn human woman? It would have taken a very powerful youkai to pull her from another time. Koga's brow furrowed.   
Astrid chose to go back to sleep. When she woke she found that someone, possibly Koga, had taken the untouched plate and left a bowl of water and a cloth. She dipped her fingers in the water. Surprisingly, it was still warm. Astrid scrubbed the blood from her skin absently. The water was a rusty red color now. Astrid walked outside of her little room. There were wolves and youkai everywhere. None of them paid her much attention. Astrid wasn't really sure where she was going she just followed a pull she felt that lead her downward. The den was massive. Astrid tried to figure out what was pulling her. She had a rueful idea which was proven correct when she walked into one of the biggest caverns. She wasn't altogether surprised to find Koga, though he didn't acknowledge her. There were several other wolf demons in the room. She came in to the very end of the conversation. She had heard something about birds of paradise, whatever that meant. She turned to leave. Koga, whose back had been to her, bid her to stay. He hadn't even looked at her. Astrid figured he had probably smelled her. The wolf youkai filed out of the chamber leaving Koga and Astrid alone. Koga gave her a rueful look. The candles flickering in the room cast shadows across his face making him appear more bestial.

"Sit." He gestured one of the recently vacated seats.

Astrid shot him a dirty look before before settling herself on one of the mats. She disliked being ordered like an animal. Then again, nobody here seemed to be particularly polite here in her extremely limited experience. She chose to overlook it.

"Tomorrow we're going out."

"Where are you going?" 

"We are going further up the mountain tomorrow. There are some demon birds that have taken roost on the peak of the mountaintop. They have grown bolder, attacking my pack and killing them."

"I told you before and I'll say it again. I'm not helping you."

Koga ignored her response. "I believe they have a jewel shard."

"Oh." Was all Astrid could say. 

"We're leaving in the morning. Be ready."

"Okay..." Astrid replied vacantly. She got up to leave. She could feel Koga's eyes on her retreating back. Astrid walked back to her little cavern. She sat on the edge of the walkway outside her room looking down at the activity in the den. Now that she took a moment to really study her surroundings she realized they were families. True, there were warriors and scouts, but there were also children. She also noted that they didn't seem to adhere to any sort of gender roles. There were men preparing food and caring for children and women carrying swords and spears. That was an unexpected surprise. Her thoughts ranged back to Koga. He was an arrogant bastard but when he had asked her about the music he seemed... there was no other word for it... human. No. He had taken her against her will. He bit her. He was a monster, plain and simple. Her eyes followed a small boy with a tufted tail. He was clutching the fur of an enormous wolf as he tried to walk. The boy fell and stood unsteadily again. The wolf put his massive head behind the boy to push him upright before he fell again. It was... sweet. Astrid stood and stretched before retreating back into her room. She laid down on the furs burrowing into them for warmth. She thought she had better get ready early in the morning. If she resisted she was likely to be thrown over someone's shoulder like a sack again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle with the Birds of Paradise commences.

The next morning when Astrid woke she dressed quickly. She was full of nervous energy and wasn't looking forward to meeting more youkai. Despite what she had said to the contrary, she decided to help them find this jewel shard. Maybe they could arrange a deal. She finds the jewel shards he helps her find the demon. That's fair. A weaker part of her was feeling the tiniest bit of sympathy for the wolves. Not necessarily Koga, He was definitely a prat but the others just seemed like... people. Seeing that little boy yesterday had given her an odd desire to protect him. She knew that maybe she could not but maybe Koga could. She reasoned that the village she found was probably not attacked by the wolves which had been her first suspicion. The print she had seen differed from the prints of the wolves in several fundamental ways. She also accepted that she had nowhere to go. She was probably safer in this world full of youkai within Koga's pack than she would be out in this strange world alone. Idly she wondered if she had slept wrong. She was feeling a bit more charitable toward her captors. Maybe if she did her part they would help her find the demon who brought her here and she could make him send her back. Realizing that she was thinking in circles she shook her head.  
Astrid was also nursing the tiniest bit of remorse for what she had done to the wolves Koga had ordered to esccort her back to the den. They had been following Koga's orders. Ginta and Hakkaku had gotten the worst of it. Not only did they have to deal with the pain of being maced, from what she had heard, Koga had been furious at them for letting her escape. She had no idea what sort of punnishment they might have recieved for that little fiasco. Astrid walked back to the chamber she had visited the night before following the pull of the jewel shards. Walking into the room she quickly realized she had made a mistake. She had assumed that this was a meeting place. It was, in fact, Koga's room. She had wandered in right in the middle of him dressing. His back was bare and it was apparent that he had only just doned the fur loin cloth that he typically wore. Astrid's cheeks heated in embarrassment. The tail was indeed a part of him. For a moment she was seized with a mad desire to touch it. 

"You're up early." Koga commented over his shoulder, completely nonplussed about her finding him in a state of undress. Maybe that was normal for wolves. 

"You said early." Astrid replied dryly. 

She thought he was smirking but she couldn't be sure as she was currently looking at everything but him. She sat down and waited for him to finish getting dressed. Astrid picked at her fingernails in her lap. When Koga was ready they left and went to the entrance of the den. There they found a group of wolves waiting. Maybe she was supposed to come here, she mused inwardly. It would have been nice if that mangy wolf had told her that. He may have assumed he was going to have to drag her out kicking and screaming.  
The journey up to where the birds of paradise roosted was not something a mortal could have done alone. Astrid had walked most of the way but they reached a cliff that the wolves seemed to have no trouble scaling, leaving Astrid on the ground. It was Koga who came back to get her insisting he would carry her up. It would be faster. Reading the panic in her eyes he did not throw her over his shoulder like a sack or let her cling to his back. He scooped her in his arms and she grudgingly wrapped her arms and legs around him, ignoring the stab of pain that shot through her shoulder from the bite. She didn't much like the idea of plummeting to her death. Despite her burdening him, Koga climbed the cliffs with ease. Soon they were ahead of the others, Astrid's arms and legs wrapped viselike around him, her face burried in his neck. If Astrid had not been so afraid of plunging to her death she might have been embarrassed, clinging to this youkai so intimately.   
She felt them slowing down then come to a jarring halt. Astrid's face cautiously pulled away from Koga. The air felt thin here. They were on a flat expanse of rock formed by some unknown natural pattern. There was little to no vegetation here either. Astrid stiffly unwound herself from Koga peering upward curiously. She could feel the pull she has inadverdently come to equate to Koga coming from somewhere above. Koga watched her carefully.

"Do you see it?" 

Astrid squinted upwards. "There's definitely one of those jewel shards up there, no. Two I think. I can feel it. It's... moving. Above us." 

The wolves looked to Koga for instructions. "Stay here with the girl. I'll go draw them out here. Don't let her die. We need her." Koga turned tail and continued his ascent.

Astrid followed his progress with her eyes. She sat on the ground, her knees pulled up to her chest. It was actually really cold here. She tried to fight back a shiver unsuccessfully. The youkai surrounding her seemed totally oblivious to the temperatures. Then again, Astrid thought, Koga had been very warm, hot, almost to the touch which is why she didn't notice the chill until he had left. Maybe these youkai maintained a higher body temperature than a human. Hakkaku and Ginta looked upward for Koga as well.

"Where did he go?" Ginta whined, squinting. Astrid pointed to where she could see the gentle glow of Koga's jewel shards.

"He's there. He's fine. He hasn't encountered the demon with the shards. He's still climbing." Almost as soon as she had spoken, loud squawking cries echoed from all around them. Koga's quarry was definitely aware of him now, it moved faster. Instead of the lazy circles it had been doing before, it was progressing toward Koga. Astrid gasped when Koga suddenly dropped. 

"What is it?" Hakkaku demanded, the other youkai were shifting restlessly.

"I thought he fell. He's definitely moving again. I think he's fighting, but not with the one with the jewel shards. There must be more of them up there."

"Of course there are," Ginta snapped, "There are tons of them. Their clan rivals our own."

"Do you think Koga can fight them alone?"

"What do you think we're here for?" Ginta snapped. 

Astrid shot him a scathing look. "Then why is he fighting alone. Shouldn't some of you go help him?" 

"No. Our orders were to remain behind to watch you." Hakkaku replied.

Astrid looked upward again. Koga was moving so fast it was hard to follow him but he hadn't engaged with his quarry yet. It seemed to be waiting for him to tire himself out. "We have to do something to get there attention." Astrid said with determination, "Otherwise, Koga will fight them alone." She looked around at the wolves. One of them carried a long bow. Astrid pulled it from his grasp ignoring his protests. Memories from what felt like a thousand years ago flooded through her. She was at camp as a child. They were teaching the children archery. She had been good at it. Astrid pushed the memory down. Notching and arrow and focusing upward Astrid strained her injured shoulder to pull the string back. 

"What are you doing?" Ginta demanded. 

"Letting them know we are here. Hopefully it will distract them from Koga and bring them to us." Astrid said through gritted teeth. She hadn't been aiming at anything in particular and honestly did not expect it to work. What she was unprepared for was the flare of violet light that surrounded the aarow as soon as she released it.

"Oh." Astrid said, watching it's progress.

"What did you do?" Hakkaku said, mouth agape.

Astrid just shrugged and was spared the trouble of actually having to respond by birds swooping from the sky. If you could call them birds. They were fat, round, feathered things with no beak to speak of. Instead rows of sharp teeth could be seen. It looked like people were settled amongst the monstourous bird's grayish plumage. When Ginta jumped up and knocked it to the ground Astrid saw that it was not a rider, It was a blue humanoid torso attached to the bird's head. The wolves fell upon it with ferocity. More were coming and as a unit they began dispatching the birds. Astrid had backed up to the craggy outcropping of wall behind her trying to stay out of the way. They seemed to be doing well. Astrid looked upwards trying to find Koga and the bird with the shards again. Koga was obviously trying to draw the beast lower, he was steadily descending. Astrid wondered why the bird would follow. It must be the lure of Koga's shards. The beast would want them. Of course. Astrid's attention was jerked back to her situation when she heard a pitiful scream. It sounded like Ginta. 

"No!" Hakkaku yelled. 

One of the birds had captured Ginta in his talons and was attempting to flee further upward. Ginta struggled and whimpered in his claws. The pitiful sound spurned her into action. She might not be overly enthused with the wolves but she couldn't let him die. She could hear Ginta's cries to his brothers for help. A few arrows had gone up in his direction from the wolves but fallen short. Astrid gripped the bow in her sweaty hands. She drew and arrow with shaking fingers and notched it, taking a knee. Please. Please. Please. She begged in her mind, taking a deep breath. She could see the raw fear etched on his face and her heart broke for him. What a terrible way to die, consumed or dropped to his death. Astrid trained the bow on the escaping bird and released the arrow. Again she was surprised. It wasn't a normal aarow that she had fired at all. Violet light surrounded the arrow when she released it. This time the light pulsed with more angles. Almost like it was reflecting her own fear and the desire to save Ginta from these monsters. The arrow struck the monstrous bird of paradise. The bird shriked as it died. Ginta fell from its claws, Hakkaku darting forward to catch him, and the bird seemed to be disintegrating from within. Astrid let out a relieved sigh. The wolves quickly dispatched the rest of the birds.   
Koga had managed to lure the leader of the birds down to where they were fighting. The bird, spotting the wolves and the corpses of his fallen brethren, opened his sharp toothed maw, releasing a powerful blast at them. Koga struck the bird with lightning speed. It did little to hurt it. The wolves had scattered to safetly before the blast could connect. Now the bird targeted Koga dodged the blast then furiously kicked the bird of paradise. It retreated higher in the sky laughing.

"Astrid!" Koga called down to her. "Where are his jewel shards?" 

...Did he just call her by her name?

She squinted at the beast, "They're in his mouth!" 

The bird of paradise swooped down to attack Koga. He responded the bird with a furious flurry of blows, punching through one of it's massive teeth. He was trying to yank the shards out of the beasts mouth. The bird let out a manic laugh biting down on Koga's right arm. Koga let out a surprised yell that turned into growls of pain.

"We will devour you, little wolf, and your shards will make us even stronger!" The beast boasted.

Koga fought to free his arm whining pitifully. Astrid was reminded forcefully of a time when she had been hiking and heard a cry like the one Koga was making now. A wolf pup had stepped into a bear trap. He had struggled to free himself and had begun desperately chewing at his own flesh. Astrid knew she had to help them. The other wolves were approaching now to try and help him as well. Feigning a confidence she did not feel she yelled, "Everybody get back!" The youkai obeyed. Astrid didn't take the time to think about it. More birds were arriving to rejoin the fight. Astrid dropped to her knee once again notching an arrow. Pulling the string back her shoulder screamed in protest. She could feel a hot wetness spreading across her shoulder and ignored it. Aiming carefully, she emptied her mind of everything but saving him. She needed him. Koga, she thought, releasing the string. The sacred arrow struck the bird of paradise in the mouth dangerously close to where Koga was trapped. It let out a piteous scream as the arrow purified him. Koga was falling. Hakkaku and Ginta darted forward to catch him. Astrid's slate gaze followed the progress of the tiny glowing crystals. She darted forward to pick them up and slip them in the pocket of her shorts. There were... three? She hurried over to where Ginta and Hakkaku were supporting a wounded Koga.

"Are you ok?" Astrid asked him. Her brow was creased with worry as she examined his wounds. His right arm was bleeding profusely. The flesh was torn deeply, a flap of muscle seemed to be hanging, torn from his forearm.

"That damned bird tore the shard from my arm." Koga gritted his teeth.

"It's ok, I got it back. We need to bandage your arm. You've lost a lot of blood." Astrid tried to remain calm and clinical. She couldn't let him die.

"I'm fine." Koga insisted trying to stand on his own. He wobbled on his feet. 

"Sit down." She ordered without heat. 

He shot her a mutinous glare and recoiled a little. Her stony expression brooked no arguments. They hadn't brought any bandages with them. Stupid stupid stupid! She thought. Realizing there wasn't much of a choice she tore the lower half of her tank top off.

"Ok hold still." Astrid used her fingers to hold the muscle to his forearm and wrap it tightly. Koga didn't move or let out any sound of protest. His face was screwed up in pain and he gritted his teeth. 

"Are you done?" He growled at her through gritted teeth. 

"Yes." She turned. "Hakkaku can you carry him? There's no way he can make it down on his own." 

Hakkaku nodded pulling Koga onto his back before he could resist and darting off down the mountain. Astrid heaved a sigh pinching her nose between her fingers. Her eyes snapped open. Shit. With Koga injured she couldn't get back down the mountain. She couldn't ask one of the other youkai to carry her back down. Her pride wouldn't allow it. The only reason she had let Koga carry her in the first place was because he was so damned pushy. Someone cleared their throat behind her. She turned to look at the source of the noise, trying and failing to not shiver.

"You need help back down?" It was Ginta. 

"Uhm..." Astrid hesitated, embarassed.

"Your shoulder started bleeding again. I can smell it. You can't climb down on your own. I'll take you."

Astrid's cheeks flooded red, looking down at her feel. "I... uhm... Thanks." She said awkwardly.

"No problem sister."

"Sister?"

"You're one of us now. You fought with us to protect our pack. Yours and mine."

"Oh."

No no no. Overly familiar. Astrid was at a loss for words. Ginta scooped her up in his arms carrying her bridal style. Astrid leaned her face into his chest determined not to watch their descent. Ginta did not put her down when they reached level ground. When she shifted to get down his arms tightened around her. Secretly she was grateful. She was exhausted. Astrid didn't understand how she could be so tired. All she had done was shoot a few arrows. The glowing arrows. That's why she was so tired. They had sapped her stamina, she realized groggily. This was the power of a... priestess? She didn't really understand. She fell asleep against Ginta as he carried her back to the den.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The power is back on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's quite a bit of dialogue in the next few chapters.

Astrid woke slightly disoriented in her cavern. She was lying on the furs. She looked down at her shoulder wound that had reopened in the fight. She was confused as to why her shoulder wasn't crusted with dried blood. Someone had cleaned her wound. 

Koga! She thought suddenly, dragging herself out of bed she made her way down toward the pull of Koga's jewel shards. Standing in the doorway of Koga's chambers she watched him. He was asleep, still in his armor. His arm was drawn up to his face. He whimpered pitifully and licked at the bandages in his sleep. She was reminded sadly of the wolf pup caked in blood and dirt that she had carried out of the woods and given to the wildlife preservation office a lifetime ago. He had done the same thing when they bandaged him. She trudged back up to her room to collect her phone, charged by her power bank, and returned to his bed chamber. She sat on the floor against the wall facing him and put in her ear buds. She sat there for a long time. Long enough to listen to an entire playlist. The song she was listening to now relaxed her and suited her mood. The cello swelled around her in her little music bubble. She opened her eyes. He was lying in the same position but his eyes were open, watching her. She waited for the song to end before removing her ear buds and turning off her phone.

"You're awake." She said to fill the silence. 

"Yeah. Would you get me some water?" His voice was raspy. Astrid nodded and stood. She went to the little alcove carved into the wall to get his water jug, filling an earthenware cup. He tried to push himself up with his injured arm and winced. 

"Stop doing that. I'll help you." Astrid snapped. 

She knelt down next to him careful not to spill the cup and put her arm around him pulling him to a seated position. She offered the cup to his uninjured left hand. He drained the cup in two large swallows.

"Are you still thirsty? Do you want me to bring you anything to eat?"

Koga looked at her curiously. Why was he looking at her like that? When he did not answer she moved to stand. As if on cue his stomach growled loudly. Astrid heaved a sigh and left the room. With nothing else to do, Koga sat and waited for her to return somewhat impatiently. 

Astrid went to one of the men cooking and told them that Koga was awake and hungry. The youkai seemed to sag with relief. "I knew Koga would be fine. Takes more that a puffed up bird to do him in." He handed her a plate piled high with meat. The smell made her own stomach clench.

"Thank you." Astrid turned, heading back to Koga. He was still sitting up when she entered. She handed him the plate. He ate quickly. About halfway through his meal he stopped to look at Astrid.

"Have you eaten anything today?" He asked her suspiciously.

"No. Not yet. I woke up and came down here."

"You need to eat." He handed her a sizeable piece of meat from his own plate. 

"No, really, I'll eat later. You should..." Astrid protested.

Koga cut her off. "Eat. I'm not asking." He grouchily resumed eating, watching her to make sure she ate what he gave her as well. Astrid ate most of what he offered feeling that it was more prudent to do so that to argue with an injured wolf demon.

"Aren't you going to finish that?"

"I'm full." 

Koga reached over and snatched the piece of meat away from her practically inhaling it. Koga sat his plate to the side. Astrid picked it up, placing it on the table.

"Let me see your arm. We should probably change your bandages."

"There's no need. This is fine." 

"Not if it get's infected. Let me see it." Astrid argued. Koga heaved an impatient sigh. holding his arm out to her. She carefully unwound the makeshift bandage preparing herself for the worst. The bandage fell away. 

"What the hell?" Astrid studied his arm in disbelief. It still looked terrible but the muscle had already began knitting itself back together. "How is this possible?" Her fingers probed his arm carefully in wonder. 

"I'm not some weak human. In probably three or four days this will be completely healed." Koga replied arrogance seeping into his voice. Astrid's grey eyes locked on his in distaste. Despite his assurances that it would heal without the aid of anything else Astrid rewraped his arm is a fresh bandage. 

"I think I'm going to go back to sleep." Koga blinked sleepily. He reached over his shoulder trying to unclasp his breastplate. He easily unclasped his right side with his uninjured arm but the other side posed more of a challenge. He struggled for a few moments before fixing his eyes on Astrid giving her unmistakable puppy dog eyes.

"Do you want me to go get someone?" She said impatiently. 

"Nah. You can get it." Koga replied frankly.

"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer for me to go get Hakkaku or Ginta?"

"Stop arguing." Koga snapped.

Astrid fixed him with a glare. No. Wait. Better dial it back. I need him to help me find the demon who brought me here. Astrid's fingers fumbled with the unfamiliar clasp. When it finally released the armor slid off into his lap. She looked down quickly hiding behind her orchid locks but she had already seen enough. Koga's body was incredible. He was all lean muscle and tanned skin. She licked her lips reflexively and swallowed. Damn it, why was she checking him out? Maybe he didn't notice.

"Why is your face so red? Are you sick?" Damn. Koga sat his breast plate to the side and leaned closer to better see her face.

"You sure? Wait... are you blushing!?" Koga exclaimed. 

Shit. Shit. Shitty shit shit.  
"I.. I've got to go..."Astrid stammered out, mortified. She turned tail and left, ignoring Koga calling after her to come back.   
Astrid escaped to her room, far away from Koga. Can't be getting too familiar. She shook her head at her own foolishness. What the fuck was he playing at, asking her to... She groaned at herself. She had caught sight of that damned smirk when she had fled. That cheeky wolf. He had done that to get a rise out of her. She hated that it worked. Astrid shivered with cold and picked at the fray of her torn shirt. Rifling through her bag she pulled out another top and shorts. She ran her fingers through her oily locks. She thought longingly of her shower. Astrid pulled on fresh clothes throwing her mangled shirt on the floor. Hesitating for a moment, she dug in the pocket of the shorts she had taken off. She found what she had been searching for. The shards of the jewel. She studdied them carefully as an idea began to form. She tucked them into her pocket for safekeeping and crawled back into her bed. Now wasn't the right time.   
Astrid woke with a start several hours later. Koga was in her room.

"The fuck do you want?" She asked groggily. 

"Such language." Koga commented, smirking. 

She sat up rubbing her eyes. Somewhat more alert she asked again. "What do you want Koga?" 

"The jewel shards, obviously." She looked around and saw that her bag had been emptied. He had obviously searched for them while she slept. Now was as good a time as any.

"Right, about that..." she began. 

"You didn't lose them did you?!" He exclaimed angrily. 

"Of course not you prat." She snapped back. "We need to come to an agreement. I don't work for free."

"Do you want me to take my armor off for you?" Koga asked sarcastically. 

(Asshat.) "Yeah, right. Get over yourself. The way I see this, I'm doing you a pretty big favor here so I want you to do something for me."

Koga pretended to unclip his breast plate. "Would you fucking stop!" Astrid snapped. "Look dick head, You want these jewel shard things. I want to go home. You help me find the guy who brought me here and I'll help you find more of these." She held the shards out in her hand. "Sound fair?" 

Koga considered her proposal. "Or I could just keep you here and make you find them for me. If you don't I'll kill you."

"Empty threat ass hole. You need me. I won't help you find a single flake, you can trust me on that. You'll just have to sniff them out yourself." Astrid replied stonily. 

"Then I suppose we have a deal." 

"One more thing... I want a bath. You guys do bathe in this time don't you?"

Koga shot her a nasty glare. "Of course we do. Fine. I'll send someone to show you to the baths."

Excellent. Things were looking up. Astrid held them out to him. Koga picked one of them up and pushed it into the meat of his injured arm. Gross. It seemed to glow brighter for a second. 

"You hold on to the other ones. Don't even think about running off with them. I'm not the only youkai searching for them."

As if she would run away now. Koga was a jerk but he was still her best hope of getting home and she didn't fancy the idea of running into another pushy, arrogant demon, one who might not be so accommodating. He left her room in a huff. A short while later a youkai girl came to show her to the baths. Astrid quickly gathered her soaps. The baths, incidentally were a small cluster of hot springs a short walk outside the den. Someone had built a bamboo partition to separate them. Probably a woman, she ruefully thought. Men were typically the oglers. Astrid hesitated when the girl showed no signs of leaving.

"Will you be bathing as well?" She asked.

"Koga told me not to leave you. I may as well." Shrugged the girl.

Astrid stripped quickly and slipped into the steaming water. The girl did the same. Astrid snuck a look at the youkai before she submerged. The tails were so odd, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to see how it connected to the body.

"Why do humans always stare?" her companion sniffed.

"Sorry," Astrid had the grace to redden and look away. "It's just so weird to see a tail on a human body." 

"It's not a human body. It is a youkai body. This is normal." 

"It looks kinda like a human body. Sorry."

"S'Okay." The girl had relaxed into the water.

"What's you're name?" Astrid asked her.

"Riza. No need to ask yours. All of the others heard about what you did."

"What I did?" Astrid asked, confused. 

"You saved Ginta. And Koga though he'll never admit it. You fought for our pack. Yours and mine." Riza's eyes were closed. Astrid mulled over her words letting the heat unknot her muscles. Ginta had used the same phrase. 

"Who bit you?" Riza asked after a moment of silence.

"Koga." Astrid replied acidly.

"Oh, good."

"Why is that good? That fucker took a bite out of me."

Riza laughed. "You don't understand. Being bitten like that is... You're a human. You probably don't understand the custom. It's like... marking. I thought maybe Ginta might have... I mean, I saw him carrying you and thought... well, nevermind." She reddened. 

"What do you mean marking? And why would it matter who bit me? Awfully rude don't you think?" 

"Maybe to a human. To us it's like... a warning. Y'know, not to mess with what's yours. Are you and Koga...?" 

"EWWWWWW GOD NO!" Astrid exclaimed, "He bit me because I ran. He's an arrogant douche."

"A what?" 

"Shit. You guys don't use that term here. He's an ass hole. No way is there anything going on there. Wait... why would you be worried about if it was someone else? Are you and Ginta...?" 

Riza reddened. "No... Well... I'd like to but he..." She seemed to have lost the words to speak. 

"Does he know? Y'know, that you like him..." 

"I don't know."

Astrid let the subject drop. She mulled over the marking thing for a while.  
"Is the biting thing... I don't understand what it means. Is it supposed to be... intimate?"

Riza giggled. "Yes. On the shoulder it is. A wolf will not approach another with a bite like that."

Astrid scowled angrily making a mental note to demand some answers about that little bit of information from Koga. What the hell was that infuriating man doing? After they were washed and dressed Astrid and Riza walked back into camp. Astrid was surprised to find that she enjoyed Riza's company. They spent the rest of the evening together. Astrid could feel the pull of Koga's jewel shards nearby but she studiously ignored him. She and Riza had been having a conversation about Ginta. Astrid yawned. 

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to keep you. You should probably go to bed."

"No problem. I had fun today. Thanks." Astrid told her, "And one more thing, I think you should talk to him. Tell him how you feel. What's the worst thing that could happen? He could say no? To you? I doubt it. If he does tell him to fuck off. He'd have to be an idiot to turn you down." 

Astrid trudged up to her room and collapsed on the furs. Sleep found her quickly.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry about my formatting. Every time I post something to archive my stuff seems to get compressed into one big block of text. I'll try to fix it in the future.


End file.
